UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Season

[Toro iskandar]

I don't know what's the problem with Chelsea that is making them to be inconsistent in their matches when they have good set of quality players in the club. Maresca needs to try something new because this is the best time for Chelsea to prove that they can win the title. They have spent a lot buying players and if these players cannot bring home the trophy, it will be a big disappointment.

If we look at the depth of the Chelsea team, it's true that they currently have quality players and possess superior talent.
However, from a different perspective, the Chelsea players don't seem ready to face every major club in the Champions League.
This isn't to underestimate them, but Chelsea has many young players who need time to balance ambition and confidence.
So, it's no surprise that Chelsea currently appears inconsistent, despite having good players, while other clubs have more experienced players.

[DYOR+BTC]

If we look at the depth of the Chelsea team, it's true that they currently have quality players and possess superior talent.
However, from a different perspective, the Chelsea players don't seem ready to face every major club in the Champions League.
This isn't to underestimate them, but Chelsea has many young players who need time to balance ambition and confidence.
So, it's no surprise that Chelsea currently appears inconsistent, despite having good players, while other clubs have more experienced players.

Talking about Chelsea not being ready to face competitively in the champions league, I don't think that's true because when they played club world cup final against PSG they where underestimated believing they can't do anything yet they capitalised on PSG's weakness to make themselves the winner of the final. So looking at the team now they may be considered same now but could prove the world wrong by winning benfica in there next game.
They may have lost there first game to Bayern Munich in a humiliating manner but can still get a chance in their next game against Benfica.

[ShowOff]

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If we look at the depth of the Chelsea team, it's true that they currently have quality players and possess superior talent.
However, from a different perspective, the Chelsea players don't seem ready to face every major club in the Champions League.
This isn't to underestimate them, but Chelsea has many young players who need time to balance ambition and confidence.
So, it's no surprise that Chelsea currently appears inconsistent, despite having good players, while other clubs have more experienced players.

Chelsea average player age this season is 23.4, and Enzo Maresca team clearly looks very young and lacks the experience to compete in the Champions League. Although the players are very talented, with such a young age group, I think it's very difficult to become a title challenging team. Nevertheless, Chelsea remains a side to be reckoned with and should not be underestimated, they can spring a surprise by beating any opponent.

At a glance, I see that Chelsea currently like to recruit talented young players and then sell them on for profit. With that approach, I think it will be difficult for Chelsea to achieve success, especially in the Champions League, which is known for being extremely competitive. But, if Chelsea keeps its key players for a long time, it's highly likely they will successfully win trophies again in the future.

[Tonimez]

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If we look at the depth of the Chelsea team, it's true that they currently have quality players and possess superior talent.
However, from a different perspective, the Chelsea players don't seem ready to face every major club in the Champions League.
This isn't to underestimate them, but Chelsea has many young players who need time to balance ambition and confidence.
So, it's no surprise that Chelsea currently appears inconsistent, despite having good players, while other clubs have more experienced players.

Chelsea average player age this season is 23.4, and Enzo Maresca team clearly looks very young and lacks the experience to compete in the Champions League. Although the players are very talented, with such a young age group, I think it's very difficult to become a title challenging team. Nevertheless, Chelsea remains a side to be reckoned with and should not be underestimated, they can spring a surprise by beating any opponent.

At a glance, I see that Chelsea currently like to recruit talented young players and then sell them on for profit. With that approach, I think it will be difficult for Chelsea to achieve success, especially in the Champions League, which is known for being extremely competitive. But, if Chelsea keeps its key players for a long time, it's highly likely they will successfully win trophies again in the future.

You have a very good point. On the other hand I don't think that Chelsea actually set selling some of their young players as a business strategy unlike the Arsenal under the Arsene Wingers regime. Most times Chelsea tend to sell those players when they feel they had made a transfer error which is very normal for every team. Their recent sales during the transfer window was purely a means to offload some of their transfer mistakes. Jackson is young but had a very bad finishing ability and even football fans were already fed up with him. Madueke too was already out of favour too plus personal desires. I would say that Chelsea has a good business idea and tends to make profits from every of their signing and that is perfect for any team that understands the game.

Mason mount's deal with Manchester United is one of their good deals and I believe that they don't just sell, they put value on their players no matter how bad the player is unlike Manchester United. This is why Manchester United will continue loosing in every transfer market because they usually condemn their players before putting him up for sale. This makes scouts to price their players too poorly which end up leading them to loose their capital after signing.

Chelsea may not go to semi final this champion's league season, but I would bet that they would reach the quarter finals. The team is young and mighty, even though they lack experience but their talents can take them anywhere.

[Gost ms]

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If Chelsea are disappointed with the result against Manchester United and if they perform poorly in the next match, they will show an amateur team. Considering the result against Manchester United as an undesirable result, Chelsea will have to plan well for the upcoming matches so that they do not have to regret any future matches like this. Manchester United performed better than Chelsea on the field that day, that is why Manchester United won. Chelsea will have to plan so that Manchester United cannot win any other match against Chelsea in the future. If Chelsea does not make these plans and stops repeatedly at a previous result, their chances of doing well in the future will decrease.

I don't think that, Chelsea will have a bad result in the coming two games . Because Chelsea will not like to have a back to back loses in a row, again Chelsea lost their opening game in the champions League so Chelsea will like to get a win in the champions League in their second game.

That way we can never guess what Chelsea will do. Because Chelsea are not in a very good form at the moment. We are not getting what we expect from them, but we are getting a lot. Before the game we cannot say what will happen on the pitch but I think Chelsea will win. Because Chelsea lost the match Chelsea will want to win the next match. Let's see what Chelsea can do, I am very optimistic that Chelsea will do something very good and move forward.

[MarjorieZimmermanGinger]

Talking about Chelsea not being ready to face competitively in the champions league, I don't think that's true because when they played club world cup final against PSG they where underestimated believing they can't do anything yet they capitalised on PSG's weakness to make themselves the winner of the final. So looking at the team now they may be considered same now but could prove the world wrong by winning benfica in there next game.
They may have lost there first game to Bayern Munich in a humiliating manner but can still get a chance in their next game against Benfica.

All teams have the same potential, but it's how they prepare for the tough competition in the Champions League that matters. Defeat or success in the Club World Cup can't be used as a benchmark because each match brings a different game. Chelsea may not be the favorites in the Champions League, but that doesn't mean they should be underestimated, even though they lost their opening match against Bayern Munich. There are still many matches left, and Chelsea can once again show their competitiveness to gain points and advance to the next round.

[Nightwatchmare]

I cannot say, yet, that Chelsea is a "safe favorite". Yeah, Benfica are messy. At home, Qarabag was humiliated, they lost 2–0 lead and fired their coach. However, the coming of Mourinho into the equation might shift thing. He plays off low-block formations against possession sides. Chelsea with Maresca are all about that 3 -2-5, dominate the ball, inverted fullback stuff but without a fit #9, you can soon turn it into sterile domination. They gave up four goals in the past four games, no Liam Delap, perhaps none of Palmer. Benfica could be below its best, but the fact that Pavlidis misses sitters and Aursnes misses finishers will also be a signal to a tight, ugly game

Bookies have Chelsea ~65% to win, but the Under 2.5 sitting at 2.30 odds is where the value is. I may well see this 1-0 or maybe 1-1 should Mourinho have his block on

I give Chelsea a high chance to win honestly. They are seriously outweighing Benfica especially at Stamford Bridge.    Palmer isn't in healthy condition maybe but I don't think this will be a big obstacle. They can still win by a good team play.

Yeah, Benfica has brought Mourinho as their new manager. The players reacted positively in his first game. They played nice in the Rio Ave one too but unluckily lost 2 points despite the domination.

While they are trying to adapt his game they could have more difficulties against a serious opponent like Chelsea...

Chelsea defeated Benfica heavily in their last match in the club world cup, and i believe Chelsea will win Benfica easily since Benfica performance has dropped this season, and it has caused Benfica to lose the matches they were supposed to win this season. Cole Palmer is currently the best player in Chelsea, and he's an important player for Chelsea because he can inspire Chelsea to win a game, but even if Cole Palmer isn't in healthy condition, it will not stop Chelsea from winning Benfica because if Qarabag could come from two goals down to defeat Benfica, just imagine what Chelsea will do to Benfica at Stamford Bridge. I will bet on Chelsea to win Benfica.

[Webetcoins]

We are still talking about the same statistics of Chelsea and Benfica because it was from the matches about them you watch that makes you believe that Chelsea is stronger than Benfica so actually statistics cannot be disputed from knowing the possible stand on a club against another. Is because of the probability between some teams are the reason some gamblers avoid them most times because the losing has much possibility than winning, I might agree with if Chelsea being better but we would find out when they have had there encounter on the champions League. 30th of September is not far again for the statistics to be verified.

To be fair, I never believed H2H was a good way to calculate who will do how. Because in most cases teams change a lot, so if you face same two teams with one year apart, you never know what's going to happen because many things change. Like how Benfica has totally new president and Mourinho now compared to last time these teams faced, that could be a big deal.

This is why it is clear that we are going to see a totally different result. Even if Chelsea wins this game, which everyone expects them to and that is normal, I do not think there will be a dominating result. Which is why I expect a lesser goal scored game than the last time. Benfica is still not amazing, they need to get better, but Chelsea has their own issues as well.

[banana33]

You can not choose a favorite team by checking the statistics about these matches. Chelsea is a strong team. And this is their home match. Also, Chelsea is  in better form than Benfica. Chelsea failed to win against Bayern munich in the first match of the Champions League.

We are still talking about the same statistics because it was from the matches about them you watch that makes you believe that Chelsea is stronger than Benfica so actually statistics cannot be disputed from knowing the possible stand on a club against another. Is because of how relative improvement some teams are that makes gamblers avoid them most times because the losing has much possibility than winning, I might agree with if Chelsea being better but we would find out when they have had there encounter on the champions League. 30th of September is not far again for the statistics to be verified.

Well, for those who like to take risks, betting on Benfica isn't bad, considering that they want to win now and they want to do it in the best possible way. If they win against Chelsea, it will be quite a feat, even if I was looking at the odds and they don't seem to be that unbalanced.

[martinom]

If we look at the depth of the Chelsea team, it's true that they currently have quality players and possess superior talent.
However, from a different perspective, the Chelsea players don't seem ready to face every major club in the Champions League.
This isn't to underestimate them, but Chelsea has many young players who need time to balance ambition and confidence.
So, it's no surprise that Chelsea currently appears inconsistent, despite having good players, while other clubs have more experienced players.
I don't see it that way. The proof is that Chelsea won the Club World Cup, but Chelsea's overall performance this season has declined, and that's not just in the Champions League, but in the Premier League as well.
Mentally, Chelsea is a top team that has won the Champions League, so that's no excuse for not having the mentality to compete with other European teams.

It can't be an excuse for not winning, even if they are very young if they are there there must be a reason, it's okay to make some mistakes because of their young age but it shouldn't always be an excuse to be used when things go badly, it's clear that we also have to take responsibility and blame when things go wrong.

[verdinio]

I cannot say, yet, that Chelsea is a "safe favorite". Yeah, Benfica are messy. At home, Qarabag was humiliated, they lost 2?0 lead and fired their coach. However, the coming of Mourinho into the equation might shift thing. He plays off low-block formations against possession sides. Chelsea with Maresca are all about that 3 -2-5, dominate the ball, inverted fullback stuff but without a fit #9, you can soon turn it into sterile domination. They gave up four goals in the past four games, no Liam Delap, perhaps none of Palmer. Benfica could be below its best, but the fact that Pavlidis misses sitters and Aursnes misses finishers will also be a signal to a tight, ugly game

Bookies have Chelsea ~65% to win, but the Under 2.5 sitting at 2.30 odds is where the value is. I may well see this 1-0 or maybe 1-1 should Mourinho have his block on

I give Chelsea a high chance to win honestly. They are seriously outweighing Benfica especially at Stamford Bridge.    Palmer isn't in healthy condition maybe but I don't think this will be a big obstacle. They can still win by a good team play.

Yeah, Benfica has brought Mourinho as their new manager. The players reacted positively in his first game. They played nice in the Rio Ave one too but unluckily lost 2 points despite the domination.

While they are trying to adapt his game they could have more difficulties against a serious opponent like Chelsea...

Chelsea defeated Benfica heavily in their last match in the club world cup, and i believe Chelsea will win Benfica easily since Benfica performance has dropped this season, and it has caused Benfica to lose the matches they were supposed to win this season. Cole Palmer is currently the best player in Chelsea, and he's an important player for Chelsea because he can inspire Chelsea to win a game, but even if Cole Palmer isn't in healthy condition, it will not stop Chelsea from winning Benfica because if Qarabag could come from two goals down to defeat Benfica, just imagine what Chelsea will do to Benfica at Stamford Bridge. I will bet on Chelsea to win Benfica.

I also firmly believe that Chelsea will win without problems against Benfica, but this was something I thought before Mourinho could become the coach of this team and it's worrying me a bit, it's true that the coach alone can't make the difference, but he can make life a bit more difficult, someone like him can do it

[Frankolala]

You can not choose a favorite team by checking the statistics about these matches. Chelsea is a strong team. And this is their home match. Also, Chelsea is  in better form than Benfica. Chelsea failed to win against Bayern munich in the first match of the Champions League.

We are still talking about the same statistics because it was from the matches about them you watch that makes you believe that Chelsea is stronger than Benfica so actually statistics cannot be disputed from knowing the possible stand on a club against another. Is because of how relative improvement some teams are that makes gamblers avoid them most times because the losing has much possibility than winning, I might agree with if Chelsea being better but we would find out when they have had there encounter on the champions League. 30th of September is not far again for the statistics to be verified.

Well, for those who like to take risks, betting on Benfica isn't bad, considering that they want to win now and they want to do it in the best possible way. If they win against Chelsea, it will be quite a feat, even if I was looking at the odds and they don't seem to be that unbalanced.

How is it possible for Benfica to win Chelsea. Chelsea lost their first game to Bayern and I don't think that they will love that to replicate itself again in their second match against Benfica who is a weaker team than them. Life is all about risk, same is gambling, so betting on Benfica isn't a bad idea provided that you are going to use only the amount of money that you can afford to lose.

[DubemIfedigbo001]

I also firmly believe that Chelsea will win without problems against Benfica, but this was something I thought before Mourinho could become the coach of this team and it's worrying me a bit, it's true that the coach alone can't make the difference, but he can make life a bit more difficult, someone like him can do it

The Chelsea that played against Bayern may have a hard time against Benfica. I don't know but they were not so smart against Bayern at all, the were more defensive minded than playing the ball which gave Bayern the upper hand to punish them and repeated itself when they were away at old Trafford. Normally in form rating, I would rate Chelsea higher, more especially since they're at home, so a lot is expected from them.

Ordinary they're the favorites to win, but like I would always say, football isn't mathematics and anything can happen but whatever happens, Enzo Marescca should know his competence would  be in greater doubt if he gets anything less than a win from that game.

[Roseline492]

We are still talking about the same statistics of Chelsea and Benfica because it was from the matches about them you watch that makes you believe that Chelsea is stronger than Benfica so actually statistics cannot be disputed from knowing the possible stand on a club against another. Is because of the probability between some teams are the reason some gamblers avoid them most times because the losing has much possibility than winning, I might agree with if Chelsea being better but we would find out when they have had there encounter on the champions League. 30th of September is not far again for the statistics to be verified.

To be fair, I never believed H2H was a good way to calculate who will do how.

This is why it is clear that we are going to see a totally different result. Even if Chelsea wins this game, which everyone expects them to and that is normal, I do not think there will be a dominating result. Which is why I expect a lesser goal scored game than the last time. Benfica is still not amazing, they need to get better, but Chelsea has their own issues as well.

Yes it changes all the time but the statistics needs to be regarded, there are matches that always seems like a fixed match everytime they see each other that only one side that usually win all the time, so when bet on the club that has been getting lost from them to win is definitely going to have a hard chance of winning so actually that is were the determination of statistics works and considered. The reason why betting on a higher goals even when the teams in question are equal is because of there consistent statistics of goals. Definitely there will not be too much higher domination in one side but will only varies a little and about goal definitely it will be scored but highest from 4 goals down I think.

[m4r1o]

If we look at the depth of the Chelsea team, it's true that they currently have quality players and possess superior talent.
However, from a different perspective, the Chelsea players don't seem ready to face every major club in the Champions League.
This isn't to underestimate them, but Chelsea has many young players who need time to balance ambition and confidence.
So, it's no surprise that Chelsea currently appears inconsistent, despite having good players, while other clubs have more experienced players.

Yes, I was reading an article by Fabregas, Como's coach, who said exactly what you're saying now about Chelsea: it's important to let young players play, even at the expense of some mistakes. Sometimes it's possible that these players make mistakes and errors due to their lack of experience, but they are an investment in the future and should be allowed to play.

[Lillominato89]

If we look at the depth of the Chelsea team, it's true that they currently have quality players and possess superior talent.
However, from a different perspective, the Chelsea players don't seem ready to face every major club in the Champions League.
This isn't to underestimate them, but Chelsea has many young players who need time to balance ambition and confidence.
So, it's no surprise that Chelsea currently appears inconsistent, despite having good players, while other clubs have more experienced players.

Yes, I was reading an article by Fabregas, Como's coach, who said exactly what you're saying now about Chelsea: it's important to let young players play, even at the expense of some mistakes. Sometimes it's possible that these players make mistakes and errors due to their lack of experience, but they are an investment in the future and should be allowed to play.

Cesc Fabregas is absolutely right!
Young players must be valued and given the opportunity to grow. This situation is greatly underestimated in Italy, and we are paying the price for it at national level!
Fabregas's thinking should be engraved in the minds of all team managers, whether they are small or large teams.

[$weetne$$]

If we look at the depth of the Chelsea team, it's true that they currently have quality players and possess superior talent.
However, from a different perspective, the Chelsea players don't seem ready to face every major club in the Champions League.
This isn't to underestimate them, but Chelsea has many young players who need time to balance ambition and confidence.
So, it's no surprise that Chelsea currently appears inconsistent, despite having good players, while other clubs have more experienced players.
I don't see it that way. The proof is that Chelsea won the Club World Cup, but Chelsea's overall performance this season has declined, and that's not just in the Champions League, but in the Premier League as well.
Mentally, Chelsea is a top team that has won the Champions League, so that's no excuse for not having the mentality to compete with other European teams.

It can't be an excuse for not winning, even if they are very young if they are there there must be a reason, it's okay to make some mistakes because of their young age but it shouldn't always be an excuse to be used when things go badly, it's clear that we also have to take responsibility and blame when things go wrong.

Having young players who are yet to perfectly blend confidence with ambitions is a very true fact you have stated as the fate of Chelsea but they literally do not need all the time in the world for them to be able to get that fixed, they have played and won a top trophy and so they should have gradually started getting pass all of that already, facing to teams in the champions league should be what they should be prepared for, unless they are ready to crash out soonest. The young age should rather be converted to energy and an advantage for them to be able  to make the best of opportunities when it comes.

[MArsland]

On matchday 2 of the Champions League, I'm only looking forward to the Barcelona vs. PSG match, while the others are less exciting, although there's Chelsea vs. Benfica, which might be quite boring. Big teams facing lower-ranked opponents ideally want to win all three points, as it would be embarrassing to lose.

[Republikcoin.com]

I don't see it that way. The proof is that Chelsea won the Club World Cup, but Chelsea's overall performance this season has declined, and that's not just in the Champions League, but in the Premier League as well.
Mentally, Chelsea is a top team that has won the Champions League, so that's no excuse for not having the mentality to compete with other European teams.

No team should underestimate Chelsea in the Champions League, especially since there's still plenty of time for any team to bounce back and upset the favored team. Because in the Champions League, every player always does their best in a match, and it could be a surprise that many people wouldn't expect. I don't see Chelsea's strengths disappearing this season, as they could return with an even more surprising comeback in their upcoming matches, both in the Premier League and in the Champions League this season.

[giammangiato]

Cesc Fabregas is absolutely right!
Young players must be valued and given the opportunity to grow. This situation is greatly underestimated in Italy, and we are paying the price for it at national level!
Fabregas's thinking should be engraved in the minds of all team managers, whether they are small or large teams.

Maybe they could play more young players in different matches, alternating them, giving them a chance to express themselves, and maybe they could surprise players, because they'll certainly have more enthusiasm than the veterans and could even turn games around.
Sure, they could make mistakes, but I remember Cassano. In his early days, he was a kid who was given the chance to play and make games fun, but then he got big-headed and unfortunately lost his sense of reason.
Unfortunately, all clubs are looking to win (as they should be); it's not just a desire to play; there's money at stake, and so few coaches try to play younger players.